February 25, 2026 · 7 mins read
Santosh Kumar
For vacationers, there are specific cards with benefits associated with travel, like miles for flights, access to lounges at airports for free, insurance for travel, benefits at hotels, and rewards when traveling. With increasing amounts of both international and domestic travel occurring within India, a good travel credit card could greatly assist you in saving money but will also assist in enjoying the trip itself.
Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards in 2026. Banks Provide Best Feature-Rich Travel Rewards Credit Cards for Every Spend Style and Type of Traveler. While Some Focus on Enhanced Travel Benefits for Travel, Others Provide a Balance of Both Day-to-Day Activities and Travel with their Rewards.
A travel credit card is meant to optimise benefits on flights, hotels, and travel. They offer specialised rewards like air miles, priority services and travel protection, unlike regular credit cards.
These cards are great for frequent flyers, business travellers, and anyone looking to collect travel rewards from their everyday purchases.
HDFC Bank’s Regalia Gold Credit Card is one of the most popular premium travel credit cards available, providing excellent rewards and lifestyle benefits. On this card, users get to earn reward points on their day-to-day spends, redeemable for flight tickets, hotel bookings, and travel vouchers. It also offers free domestic and international airport lounge access, which is great for frequent travelers. Cardholders also get travel insurance coverage and concierge services.
The card provides milestone benefits when users hit specific spending levels, such as bonus points and travel vouchers. Though it has an annual fee The merits usually eclipse the price tag for frequent flyers.
The Regalia Gold Credit Card is ideal for businesspersons and frequent flyers looking for elite travel benefits together with versatile reward redemption.
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The SBI Card ELITE from SBI Card is a premium lifestyle and travel credit card noted for its extensive benefits and high rewards ceiling.
This card provides ample rewards on travel bookings, dining, and international spend. Additionally, it offers complimentary airport lounge access at both domestic and international terminals, complementing travellers’ convenience.
The card also has travel insurance and concierge services.
Among the perks is the welcome bonus, featuring e-gift vouchers from some cool brands. Cardholders also benefit from milestone rewards and exclusive access to entertainment privileges.
While the card itself boasts a high annual fee, its premium benefits make it ideal for affluent and frequent travellers who appreciate luxury and convenience.
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For the travel lover looking for fast rewards on your travel spends, Axis Atlas Credit Card from Axis Bank is made for you.
This card lets users rack up travel points on all purchases, with elevated rewards on airline and hotel bookings. The points accrued can be redeemed for air miles or hotel loyalty programmes, providing versatility to travellers.
The card offers free airport lounge visits, milestone rewards and travel benefits including priority services. It also provides value to international travellers by way of rewards on foreign transactions.
The Axis Atlas Credit Card is great for frequent flight and hotel bookers who want flexible travel rewards over straight cashback.
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American Express India’s Platinum Travel Credit Card is the choice of travellers looking for accelerated rewards and premium travel experiences.
This card, on the other hand, is more about milestone rewards, enabling you to earn big membership points once hitting annual spend thresholds. These points are redeemable against travel bookings, hotel stays and partner loyalty programmes.
Cardholders enjoy travel benefits including hotel privileges, reward redemptions for flights, and exclusive offers through American Express partners. The card delivers a frictionless, dependable global payment experience as well.
While acceptance isn’t as widespread as other networks in certain areas, the point value and travel perks make it appealing to regular jetsetters.
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ICICI Bank’s Sapphiro Credit Card provides a potent combination of both travel and lifestyle benefits.
It offers free airport lounge access, travel insurance, rewards on travel and retail purchases. Cardholders also receive exclusive dining offers, entertainment benefits and concierge services.
The card usually has dual network versions as well, so it’s accepted worldwide. And it provides urban professionals with welcome benefits and occasional promotional travel offers.
The ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card is for those looking for a mix of travel perks and lifestyle rewards.
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Choosing the best travel credit card for you really comes down to a few factors, such as how frequently you travel, your spending habits and types of benefits you’d prefer! A few cards have more generous rewards when applied to travel bookings, while others have more general lifestyle benefits.
You want to think about annual fees, how you redeem rewards, any airport lounge access caps, travel insurance, and foreign transaction fees. Assessing your travel habits to know which card provides the maximum value.
And don’t forget to examine the reward scheme closely. Certain cards give you straight-up air miles, others reward points that can be redeemed for travel.
Most travel credit cards in India demand that applicants satisfy eligibility standards like minimum income, employment status, and credit background. Premium travel cards will generally have higher income and more stringent approval standards.
A credit score of 700+ typically helps. They might also require proof of income, identity and employment information.
Self-employed borrowers may apply with business financials or tax returns.
Travel credit cards offer great perks for frequent travelers or for those looking to get rewarded for their travel spending. From free lounge access and air miles to travel insurance and premium services, these cards add convenience while assisting in saving money.
In the case of frequent flyers, they are likely to find that the travel rewards and benefits provided by the travel credit card exceed the cost of processing the annual fee. Casual travellers should perform a cost/benefit analysis of whether they believe the many benefits provided by travel credit cards justify their costs.
Many travel credit cards offer free entrance to either domestic and/or international airport lounges, but usually there is a maximum number of entries granted each year per individual user of the credit card.
Travel credit cards are almost universally accepted in various global locations while providing certain rewards without being required to pay higher foreign transaction fees on many international purchases made using the travel credit card.
Most banks require that applicants possess a credit score of at least 700 or above. If the traveller is applying for an upgraded luxury travel credit card, then he/she may need an even higher credit score and a stronger income profile.
The majority of travel credit cards do offer travel accident insurance coverages, lost baggage insurance coverages, and trip delay/cancellation insurance coverages; however, the insurance coverage provided with each travel credit card varies from card to card.
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